On the heels of American Heart Month, Casper Medical Imaging & Outpatient Radiology is excited to share they are now accepting self-referred CT Coronary Calcium Scoring. Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. and Casper Medical Imaging & Outpatient Radiology (CMI & OPR) aims to help the community protect their hearts through proper screenings like cardiac CT scans and CT Coronary Calcium Scoring.
Being proactive with heart health is crucial to help prevent delayed recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiac events, such as heart attacks. CMI & OPR has a cutting-edge Cardiac CT program right here in the heart of Wyoming, allowing their team to detect many different heart conditions via imaging, without needing to take a trip out of state.
CMI’s fellowship trained physicians, Dr. Morin and Dr. Rhea, are integral to CMI & OPR’s interpretations and diagnoses of heart disease within Casper and surrounding communities. A recent patient of CMI & OPR learned the importance of cardiac screenings and early detection. As a result of their heart scan at CMI & OPR, it was revealed the patient had abnormally high calcium levels in the heart. This critical information positively altered the patient’s life and awareness of their personal heart health.
“I always thought an EKG, chest X-rays, stress tests, and a heart ultrasound would be enough to know if I was healthy. I recently had a heart scan at Outpatient Radiology which revealed an abnormal amount of calcium in the arteries surrounding my heart. I am in my mid 50’s and the scan showed more calcium compared to a normal person my age,” says the CMI & OPR patient, whose name will remain private. “I ended up having a heart catheterization, which revealed my arteries were, thankfully, still open and not clogged. However, the high calcium meant I needed to change my lifestyle when it comes to protecting my heart through exercise, diet, and medication.”
Casper Medical Imaging & Outpatient Radiology’s CT Cardiac Calcium Scores, check for calcium in the arteries that supply the heart. Their highly trained and educated technologists and radiologists use imaging to help diagnose early coronary artery disease (the most common heart disease in the U.S.), so people can make the changes necessary to protect their hearts and prolong their lives.
“Once I realized my current lifestyle must change, I felt empowered to take my health habits seriously. I appreciate the professionalism and care I received from the CT team and the radiologist. Knowing I had more calcium in my coronary arteries than the average patient my age opened my eyes. You always hope your daily habits won’t cause damage, but they did for me. Knowing now how my previous health habits had caused the damage in my body was enough for me to make the positive changes I need for my heart and my future,” says the patient.
Casper Medical Imaging & Outpatient Radiology is now offering Self-Referred CT Coronary Calcium Scoring so other patients in Casper and surrounding communities can take the steps necessary to protect their hearts, without needing a physician’s referral. Unfortunately, the exam is not covered by insurance, so CMI & OPR is happy to offer it to the community at only $150 at the time of service. To qualify for the $150 self-referred CT Coronary Calcium Score patients must be:
- Between the ages of 40-75 years old.
- At increased risk for heart disease without symptoms:
- Family history of heart disease
- Smoking history
- Overweight
- Sedentary lifestyle
- High LDL cholesterol
- Low LDL cholesterol
- High blood pressure
- Diabetes
In addition to the CT Coronary Calcium Scoring, CMI/OPR also provides several other services to help detect heart conditions, including CCTA/Coronary, CTA/Cardiac CTA, and Gated CTA Thorax.
While heart month is officially behind us, CMI & OPR’s focus on your heart health will never end. Our fellowship-trained radiologists and experienced technologists are dedicated to providing the imaging services you need in a comfortable setting, close to home. For questions about individual risks or to schedule an appointment for a heart scan or a self-referred CT Coronary Calcium Score, call the CMI & OPR office at (307) 265-1620.
“I am so thankful I had the CT Coronary Calcium Scoring scan at Outpatient Radiology and am now on a path to change and take my heart health more seriously,” says the patient.